Sauce Choron over Crab Cakes

Ease of Preparation: Medium

Yield: 4

Ingredients:

Tomato Sauce:

• 2 tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 6 ounces (170 g) tomato paste
• ¼ cup (60 ml) red wine

Sauce Choron:

• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) butter
• 1 shallot minced
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) champagne Vinegar
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) tarragon, chopped
• 3 egg yolks
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lemon juice
• 1 cup (240 ml) clarified butter, warm
• ¼ cup (60 ml) Tomato Sauce

Crab Cakes:

• ⅓ cup (80 ml) mayonnaise
• 1 red pepper
• 2 Tbs (30ml) Cajun spice
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) Dijon mustard
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• ¾ cup (180ml) breadcrumbs
• 1 cup (250 ml) panko breadcrumbs (for breading)
• 1 pound (454 g) lump crabmeat
• Salt and pepper
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Method:

For the Tomato Sauce:

Bring a pot of heavily salted water to the boil. Have an ice bath ready.

Cut a small ‘X’ into the bottom of the tomatoes and lower into the boiling water. Cook the tomatoes for 20 seconds, then transfer immediately into the ice bath.

Once completely cooled, peel the skins off the tomatoes, halve them and discard the seeds and membranes. Dice the tomato flesh and reserve.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the olive oil and garlic. Sauté until translucent, 3-5 minutes.

Add the tomato paste and diced tomato flesh. Cook the mixture for another 3-5 minutes.

Add the red wine to deglaze and cook the mixture until thickened, 4-5 minutes.

Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth, then allow to cool to room temperature.

For the Sauce Choron:

In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallot and cook until translucent, 2-3 minutes.

Add the vinegar and allow to reduce by ⅔, 4-5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat, add the tarragon, and allow to cool to room temperature.

In a blender, combine the cooled vinegar mixture with the yolks and lemon juice. Blend, and with the machine running, slowly stream in the clarified butter until emulsified and thick.

Transfer the sauce to a clean pan and fold in the Tomato Sauce. Reserve on the back of the stove until needed.

For The Crab Cakes:

In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, brunoised red pepper, egg, mustard, lemon juice, breadcrumbs, Cajun spice and crab meat. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and mix to combine well.

Form the mixture into cakes, Let sit in fridge for an hour then bread with panko.

Fill a pan over medium-high heat ¼ full with oil and shallow fry cakes until golden. Cook the cakes in batches if needed, 5-6 minutes per side.

Serve immediately with Sauce Choron.